Digging apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 2l, 1907.

H. B. ARDEN. DIGGING APPARATUS.

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HARRY spinnen, or new "reak, N. r.

reame aeeaearusg Application nea February 3.1906. 'serial No. 299,242.

Be it known that I, HARaY B. ARDEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State ofNew York,

have invented new and useful Improvements Digging Apparatus, of which the following cut wherein it is located. In the embodil similar parts.

ment of my invention which accomplishes this object, the shovel or excavator is suitably mounted and connected with a conveyer of a peculiar type las will hereinafter appear. There are also certain improvements 1n details of construction incidental to, the ,main invention as-will also hereinafter appear.

For a more particular descriptionof my invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a section through the conveyer showing the manner of supporting and connecting the buckets. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hop er. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one buc et. n v

Throughout the various views of the drawings similar reference characters designate The various features of my invention may be embodied in many Terms, differing somewhat in details, but all having features in common. y

In the modiiication shown in Figs. 1 to e inclusive, the steam shovel 1 is 4shown mounted on a frame 2, which is connected with a conveyer 3, all of -which move as a unit, being carried by suitable trucks 1?'1 on a transverse frame 4 carried by trucks on the longitudinal tracks 5 and 6, the other end of the conveyer 3 being supported by a pier 7 mounted on a truck 8 which runs on a transverse frame 9 supported by two trucks 10 and 11 which in turn run on tracks 12 and 13 laced parallel to the tracks 5 & 6, but on the bank instead of in the cut 14. The conveyer 3 and frame 2 are iieXibly connectedby any suitable means, such as a pin and slot connection 65.' The soil or earth excavated by the shovel 1 is carried by the conveyer to its upper end vand there dumped on the spoil pile A. Asthe conveyer3 and'shovel 1 are di- Speccatiovn of Letters Patent.

-are, for the most Patented. may 21, 1.907.

rectly connected, they always have the same relative positions with regard to transverse and-longitudinal movements, with the result that eachisalways ready to co-operate with the-other.

From-the 'foregoing a general-idea of my invention will be readily had. The details Y art ofthe conventional type and so only t e novel eatures need b e particularly pointed out.

The steam shovel 1 may be of any desired form and is no part of my invention.

Conveniently located at the lower end of '.the conveyer 3 is a hopper or trough 15 which is situated se that the shovel 1 may dump into it. This hopper-15 has flaring sides 16, 17 and 18 and is open at its bottom and 'upper end and slightly narrower 'through this bottom than the carsor buckets 19 which pass beneath it. This hopper 15 is suitablyand rigidly supported from the frame oi' the conveyer 3 and'has suicientclearance overthe buckets 19, but not suIicient to allowthe dirt excavated to drop through.

The buckets 19 have a bottom 20 with a rear vertical wall 21 and two side walls 22 and 23, but-.no front wall. Each bucket has also three spindle lugs, the rear lower edge having the lugs 24 and 25 and the front edge having the lug 26. These spindle lugs are so pro ortioned and arranged'that the lug 260i eac 4bucket is between the lugs 24 and 25 of the4 bucket immediatelyin iront and a common spindle unites the three. At each end of each spindle are loose ilanged wheels 27 that run on tracks 28 and 29 above and be-v low the axis of'conveyer 3. By this means. the buckets 19 are united unto an endless chain with flanged wheels supporting the same at each end of each link so that the chain may always move without delay or -friction. As the buckets have no front wall theymay be easily dumped. Motion is imparted'to this endless chain b means of loo I sprocket wheels 30 and 31 at eac end of the conveyer which are rotated by any suitable' means (not shown). The vertical walls of the buckets 1.9 come suliciently close to` gether to form practically #continuous side walls until the chain is bent at one of the pairs of sprocket wheels at either end of the conveyer.

The bracing given to the conveyer de-V pends upon its size, length and sha e. may be given an suitable form an is not necessarily straig t, but as such details are .it is better to -vvell Within the skill of an engineer, it is not' necessary to consider them here. Generally lace a pivot 32 between the pier 7 and truck 8 to allow for inequalities in -the tracks 12 and 13. If these tracks are nearly or perfectly true this pivot 32 may be djs ensed with. p rom the foregoing the operation of this embodiment of my invention will be readily understood. The shovel lfrom time to time and as rapid] as possible empties into the hopper 15 andY the spoil passes into the buckets 19'Which run along the conveyer l3 and these buckets 19 are dumped when the bucket passes over the sprocket Wheels 31. times the conveyer is ready to receive spoil from kthe shovel 1, and no matter how rapidly this shvel 1 is operated, the same condi' tion remains, so that the shovelis never delayed by the conveyer, a result never before obtained.

For some pur olses it is essential to use the re'cise form o conveyer herein described.

or others, different forms 'may be employed so that m invention in its broadest aspects-is not to e considered as limited to the precise disclosure herein, but as' broad enough to cover all structures that come Within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. An excavator, means for mounting the At all same so as to permit either transverse or longitudinal movement, and a conveyer connectv ed with said excavator so as to partake of all its transverseand longitudinal movements. 2. An excavator, means for mounting the same so as'to permit either transverse or lonmounted onV longitu inal tracks through suitable trucks.

3. An excavator, tracks in a cut for supporting the same, a set of tracks on the bank,

.a conveyer, one end of which is supported by the same means as the excavator andthe other from said -tracks on the bank.

4. An excavator, tracks in a` cut for supporting the same, tracks on a bank, a conveyer supported at one end by the tracks in the'cut and at the other by the tracks on the bank, and means for giving the excavator and conveyer the same transverse and longitudinal movements by Which their relative positions remain unchanged and the' conveyer is kept always ready to receive the material excavated by the excavator.

Signed this 30th, day of January, 1906.

HARRY B. ARDEN. 

